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The world has gone to hell in a hand basket since that illegal ocean dumping thing. People are mutating left and right and all kinds of crazy stuff is happening. I heard just the other day that someone got electrocuted by some electric eel mutant. How weird is that? That kind of stuff just isn't supposed to happen!

Thankfully, I only hear about this stuff from a distance. Living in Colorado I'm a long way away from the ocean. Sure, there've been a few mutations this far inland where someone ate contaminated fish or something, but mostly it doesn't happen. Even when it does, the mutants always move away to the coast. Good riddance, I say!

A good example of this craziness is what happened to my neighbors daughter. They went down to Australia to celebrate her sweet sixteen. They came back early, but without their daughter. Turns out she turned into some kind of raccoon freak! The Carsons are good people, it really sucks that this kind of thing is happening to people like that. Imagine your only child turning into an animal!

I'm glad they started testing fish, I'd hate to have to go without. Still, I don't think it's worth it to get fish from the Pacific Ocean. Better to get it from the Atlantic and be sure. There hasn't been any contamination there. I decided to have a barbecue and invite the Carsons over, they need to unwind some after that disastrous trip. I love fish, so I went to the store and made sure to get fish that was clearly labeled as coming from the Atlantic.

We had a nice dinner together. John was still livid over his daughter's mutation. Millie was depressed and drank too much. Still, all things considered, it went pretty well. I think it did them good to get out. Maybe I should do it again sometime and invite more of the neighbors?

The next day there was a report on the news about some Pacific products being labeled as coming from the Atlantic. These products were not tested and were labeled that way so they could be sold. There was a huge uproar about it. People were probably going to get mutated or even killed because of it. I remembered the fish the Carsons and I ate the previous day, but figured it couldn't have gotten this far inland. That stuff just doesn't happen out here.

The Carsons just seemed to get worse every day. I tried to get them to socialize more but they weren't cooperating. One day I saw Millie with bruises on her arms and face. I began to fear that John was beating her, but what could I do? I tried to sound her out without saying anything outright, but she wouldn't talk to me. Every night I heard John yelling about one thing or another. I was afraid this was getting out of hand. This mutant business was tearing them apart, and there was nothing I could do!

A couple of weeks after the barbecue I saw an ambulance drive up to the Carsons. I was afraid they'd bring Millie out on a stretcher, but it was John! I rushed out to see what was going on. I got to the curb just as the ambulance pulled away. I looked around and there was Millie, sitting on their porch. I was surprised she wasn't on the ambulance with her husband, but with what I suspected had been going on I couldn't blame her.

"What happened to John, Millie?" I asked as I walked up to their porch.

"He's been sick for a couple of days, and he just keeps getting worse. He passed out on his way to the bathroom, so I called 911." she said calmly. I could tell there was something wrong here, beyond John's illness.

"Are you alright?" I asked. There were some nearly healed bruises in sight, but nothing recent. Of course, that doesn't mean there weren't any where her clothes would cover them up.

Millie smiled serenely. "It's alright Patrick. It's divine retribution." She replied with an eerie smile.

"Divine retribution?" I asked. What could that mean?

"Yes. We abandoned our daughter because she mutated. God has punished us with the same fate." she replied.

"You're both mutating?!" I exclaimed in shocked confusion. How could the Carsons be mutating? If they'd been exposed in Australia they should have changed before now!

"Yes. The paramedic said it must have been something we ate." Millie answered.

"Aren't you going to go to the hospital with John?" I asked, trying to ignore that last part.

Millie shrugged. "I suppose I should." she said without emotion. I offered to give her a ride and she accepted.

She didn't say anything on the drive to the hospital. She didn't really seem to be aware of her surroundings. I guided her into the hospital and asked about John. A nurse told us he was in the ICU and couldn't have any visitors yet. We sat down in the waiting area. Millie still seemed lost in her own world. I couldn't even imagine what I would do if I mutated. Would I kill myself? I just couldn't imagine it.

We were there for a few hours before a doctor came out to speak to Millie. "Mrs. Carson?" a young female doctor asked as she approached.

Millie didn't react, so I said, "Yes, she's Mrs. Carson. How's John doing?"

"I'm afraid he didn't make it." she answered sadly.

"What?!" I exclaimed. Millie just sat there.

"Mr. Carson's Y chromosomes were destroyed by the mutagen. He was becoming female, but the strain was too much for his heart. I'm sorry, there was nothing we could do." She explained.

I slumped back in my chair, stunned. I don't know which was more shocking, that John had been changing to become a woman, or that he died! How could all of this happen?!

"Are you alright Mrs. Carson?" the doctor asked, noticing her lack of reaction.

She seemed to come back to life just then. "Yes, doctor, I'm alright. God is punishing us for abandoning our daughter. We deserve this." She said with tears streaming down her face. While her fatalism didn't thrill me, it was good to see her showing some emotion.

The doctor frowned and seemed to want to say something, but stopped herself. "So are you mutating also?" she asked instead. Millie nodded. "You should let us take a look at you, then. We don't want you having a reaction like your husband, though it's unlikely."

Millie agreed and then floored me when she said, "You should take a look at Patrick here, too. I think it was the fish we had at his house a couple weeks ago that caused this."

I went to say something, but all that came out was a startled squeak. The doctor looked at me and said, "That sounds like a good idea. Why don't you two come with me."

She led us over to the lab where they took lots of blood. Then we were scanned and examined thoroughly. I was shaking the entire time. Could I really be mutating? I didn't want to even think about it!

We were told it would be a couple of days before they had the results of all of the tests, but that they wanted to keep us there just in case. Especially considering what happened to John. I agreed numbly. Millie seemed unbothered by all of it, though I saw tears in her eyes more than once.

They put us in rooms and I lay there worrying. Eventually my thoughts turned from what might happen to me and to what did happen to John. Could this all be my fault, because of that fish I bought? If so, then I'd killed my own neighbor! And what about poor Millie? She'd just lost her husband, just weeks after losing her daughter! Add in her guilt over it and it was amazing that she was holding together. Assuming that's what she was doing.

I started to feel ill, I was worrying so much. I wished I could just go to sleep; at least then I wouldn't be worrying so much! But I was too wound up for that.

A nurse brought us dinner. I tried to eat it, but it just made me feel worse. A little while later I had to rush to the bathroom to throw up. A lot more came out than what I ate. I must have cleared out everything I'd eaten for the last two days!

After cleaning myself up I staggered back to bed. I felt really weak, and fell asleep as soon as I was settled in.

A nurse woke me for dinner, but I couldn't get even one forkful down. A little later the doctor who we talked to before came in. "I have the results of your tests." She said.

"And?" I prompted fearfully.

"Mrs. Carson was right, you're both mutating. Since you were most likely exposed to the same source as the late Mr. Carson, we'd like to keep you both here under observation until you've finished mutating. Especially you," she said to me, "Mr. Cartright, because you are also undergoing a gender change."

I stared at her in shock. "Are you sure?" I asked in a small voice.

She nodded. "I'm sorry, but yes. There's no doubt about it." She asked if we had any questions and then left.

"It's alright, Patrick, I'll help you get through this. It's the least I can do." Mrs. Carson said.

"I appreciate that, but why aren't you mad at me? It was the fish I bought that did this to all of us." I said.

She smiled kindly at me. "You thought it was safe, I can't blame you. Besides, we brought this on ourselves for abandoning our daughter. You're the innocent victim in this. The least I can do is help you to adapt."

"Uh, thanks." I replied. The reality of what was going to happen to me was finally starting to settle in. I was glad for her help, but even with that, how would I cope?

Millie never did show much discomfort from her mutation, though she didn't change that much. I, on the other hand, was sick as a dog for a week or more. She took care of me at least as much as the nurses did, and I think they appreciated the help. I admit, I wasn't a good patient. It didn't help any that I found myself having to reconsider many of my preconceived ideas. Especially about mutants. I was about to become one of them, after all!

Millie had already been going through that same process because of Shawna, her daughter. Now that we were both mutating as well, she seemed to have a vastly different opinion of the matter. She was determined that after we got out of the hospital she would find her daughter and make things right. At least as much as she was able to. To my surprise, I found myself promising to go with her.

I lost a great deal of weight over that week, and looked like a sickly child by the time I got my appetite back. I developed quickly after that, helped along by a ravenous appetite. In the end I was several inches shorter, about five foot seven inches, and weighed no more than a hundred pounds. Millie was still her same five foot six inches she'd been before, but was looking younger and healthier than ever. As was I, I suppose, but the shock of looking at a woman's face in the mirror kind of occluded that thought.

Other than looking rejuvenated, Millie's only other change was that her hair turned grey and she grew a rat's tail with the same grey colored fur on it. I thought she'd be upset about it, but she seemed perfectly content. If this was divine retribution, I had to say that she was taking it well.

For myself, I couldn't have looked much more different than I did, and I didn't handle it well at all. Besides being shorter, thinner, much lighter and, well, female! I was also curvy, busty, and had beautiful long blonde hair and ice blue eyes. I had no visible animal traits, which was a relief.

The doctor finally released us and I was relieved to be out of the hospital. I was not happy about being seen in my new body though, especially since all I had to wear were scrubs bought in the gift shop!

At Millie's insistence I had chosen a new name. She'd suggested Patricia, but I didn't care for it. Instead I chose Kara. Don't ask me where it came from, I really don't know.

"Kara, we need to get you some new clothes." Millie announced once we'd returned to her house.

I sighed. "I know." I agreed.

"I don't think many of my clothes will fit you, but let's see what we can find." She said, leading me up to her room.

Her bras were all too small for me, as were her panties. She had a long skirt that was supposed to be one size fits all that I could wear, and a few different tops that fit, if rather snugly. I wasn't comfortable with them, but they'd attract less attention than the scrubs. Anything that helped me avoid attention was good as far as I was concerned!

Millie tucked her tail into the leg of her pants and we left for the store. I was grateful that neither of us were obvious mutants. I was disappointed that I was, indeed, attracting attention, however, and realized it was because of the tight top I was wearing and my lack of bra. We found undergarments for me first, so that took care of half the problem. Then I made sure to find tops that were loose and didn't show a lot of cleavage. I attracted a lot less attention after that, thankfully!

Millie seemed a bit disappointed that I was hiding my figure, but she didn't argue the point, to my relief. Soon I had a respectable wardrobe of clothes I could feel comfortable with, mostly loose tops and pants.

I was grateful to get away from there and back to Millie's house. She insisted on teaching me how to handle my long hair, which I didn't have a real problem with. It was the makeup I didn't like! Why did I need to learn that stuff, I wasn't going to use it!

I finally convinced her that I didn't need to learn about makeup, at least not yet. Then we started talking about Shawna, her daughter.

"I want to find her as soon as possible." Millie said.

"I've been thinking about that, too. I think we should take a couple of days to get our financial affairs in order, then we can fly down to Australia." I replied.

Millie agreed, so that's what we did for the next couple of days. It wasn't too difficult, both our homes were paid for, as well as our cars. A friend of mine would take care of things for me while I was gone, and Millie had a friend she could trust to do the same. I think we spent more time packing for the trip. Since we didn't know how long it would take, we were bringing enough clothes for two weeks. We also packed up all of Shawna's favorite things. Most of her clothes wouldn't fit anymore from what Millie said, but there were keepsakes, CDs, and other things that she would probably appreciate having. We were hoping to bring her back with us, but we realized she might not be willing. We even discussed moving down there permanently, if Shawna didn't want to come back. That way Millie would have time, and access, to try and mend their relationship. I felt responsible for John's death, so I was determined to help out as much as I could.

I was amazed at how well my friends handled my change. I know in their shoes I wouldn't have handled it so well. I'd like to think that I would, now.

Before long everything was packed up and prepared and we were off for Australia. I still wasn't comfortable with my new body, but Millie was a constant source of support for me. She still seemed unfazed by her own mutation. Considering the only changes were her apparent age and a tail, I guess I can see why.

Our only lead to finding Shawna was the doctor who treated her at the hospital. He had tried to talk John and Millie into coming back and bringing her home when they first left Australia. Once we'd gotten settled in a hotel, we went to the hospital and asked for him.

We had to wait for almost an hour before Dr. Morris was able to see us. He recognized Millie immediately. "Mrs. Carson! I'm surprised to see you here. You look different than the last time I saw you." He said in greeting.

"That's because I mutated as well, though from a different source. I've been a fool and I've come to try and make it up to my daughter. Do you know where she is?" Millie asked.

"Oh, she's not in Australia anymore. She was getting attacked regularly and I mentioned her to a friend of mine. He managed to convince a mutant to come get her and take her to the island where she lives. You might have heard about it, they called her Kittyhawk on the news." Dr. Morris replied.

My eyes widened as I remembered that. "Are you saying it was Shawna that Kittyhawk rescued from that gang?!" I exclaimed.

Dr. Morris nodded. "Yes. If she hadn't come when she did, those thugs would have killed her." He looked at me curiously. "You're not Mr. Carson, are you?" he asked hesitantly.

I shook my head, "No, he didn't survive the mutation. I'm their next door neighbor. It was fish I served at a barbecue that mutated all three of us. I'm afraid it's my fault John's dead." I said sadly.

Millie looked at me reproachfully. "I've told you before, Kara, I don't blame you. You bought fish that was labeled as being from the Atlantic Ocean, you couldn't know that it was deliberately mismarked. It's not your fault."

"I'm sorry to hear about Mr. Carson. If you're serious about accepting Shawna as she is, then I can tell my friend you're looking for her. I'll leave it up to her whether I tell you where she is." Dr. Morris said.

Millie nodded. "That's fine, I know she must be very angry with me right now. Would it be possible to ship some of her things to her? We brought them with us."

"I'm not sure, but I'll ask." Dr. Morris replied. "I'm afraid it may take a few days, or longer, to get a reply."

"I understand. I'll be here as long as it takes." Millie said.

"Me too." I said. "I want to help any way I can."

Millie gave Dr. Morris her cell phone number and we returned to the hotel.

We spent the time waiting for word from Shawna sight seeing. Millie also used that time to try and get me more comfortable with my new body. She taught me a lot about being a woman, including a lot I really didn't want to know!

On the eighth day after our talk with Dr. Morris he called Millie's cell phone and asked us to meet him at the hospital. We agreed and hurried over.

He took us back to his office when we arrived. "My friend talked to Shawna. He left a satellite phone with her so that you can talk to her directly. Here's the number." He said, and handed a piece of paper to Millie. "As for shipping her things over, I suggest you wait until after you've talked with Shawna. She may be willing to let you come visit, so you could bring them with you." He suggested.

Millie nodded and we both thanked him. We returned to the hotel and Millie called the number Dr. Morris gave her.

"Hello, may I talk to Shawna? I'm her mother." Millie said into the phone. She waited a few minutes, then Shawna must have picked up the phone. "Shawna? I'm so glad you're alright! I'm so sorry for abandoning you like that!" she exclaimed. The conversation continued for half an hour or more, but I couldn't make out what was happening very well with only hearing one side. It did sound like Shawna was willing to listen, at least.

Finally Millie turned off her phone. "How did it go?" I asked worriedly.

She smiled and said, "I think it went pretty well! She's angry, of course, and hurt, but she invited both of us to visit her!"

"That's great! So where is she?" I asked.

"I don't know, she said she'd handle travel arrangements through Dr. Morris and he'd call with the details." Millie replied.

We didn't hear from Dr. Morris for two days. When he did call all he said was that we should pack up our things and we would be picked up at the hotel. We thanked him and did as he said. A few hours later there was a knock at the door. I opened it to find a man in a black suit wearing sunglasses. "Hello, my name is Thomas, I'm a friend of Dr. Morris. Are you Mrs. Carson, by any chance?"

"No, I'm her neighbor. Millie's inside." I said and let him in. He greeted Millie and helped us take our bags out to a large van. "Where are we going?" I asked as we were finishing loading the bags.

"An island roughly six hundred miles northeast of here. A group of mutants live there, including Kittyhawk and Shawna. I have an amphibious aircraft waiting for us." Thomas replied.

"They don't have an airport there?" I asked.

Thomas shook his head as he climbed into the driver's seat. "No, nor do they have electricity except for the small generator I dropped off with that satellite phone you called Shawna on. The island was uninhabited when they arrived there over two years ago."

"How long will it take us to get there?" Millie asked.

"Just a few hours." Thomas replied. We were silent the rest of the trip to the pier where the amphibious airplane was tied up. There was a man there who opened up the plane for us when we arrived.

"Hello! I'm getting a ride from Thomas, also! My name is Carl Kleinman. Let me help you with those bags." He said, putting action to words. With his and Thomas' help it didn't take long for us to get everything loaded up. The plane was packed! Carl and Thomas also had some bags on board, as well as various supplies for the island. There were only four seats on the plane, so it was quite full.

"Everyone strapped in?" Carl asked as he strapped himself into the pilot's chair. We indicated we were, so he started the plane.

It was a very boring flight, all the more so because it was too loud in the plane to hold a decent conversation. After a few hours we arrived at the island. The landing was very bumpy, but Carl assured us it was normal. A man with gills guided the plane past the reefs to a beach. Carl anchored it a short ways out and a boat met us. We all climbed into the boat. Thomas said someone would return with the boat and collect our bags and the supplies.

When we got to shore I saw a very small girl with raccoon ears and tail waiting for us. I thought she looked very familiar, but I didn't realize who she was until Millie cried out, "Shawna!" and jumped out of the boat and ran towards her. Shawna stayed close to a oriental girl with six arms and a woman with slitted eyes like a cat and waited for her.

The rest of us climbed out of the boat and walked ashore. I watched as Millie ran up to Shawna and then stopped suddenly, just a few feet away. I was too far away to hear what was said, but Shawna suddenly lunged forward and hugged her mother, so it looked like things were going well!

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 To Be Continued…In KittyHawk Part 9
 

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